Five goals, zero stress, a first Champions League for PSG... What if it all started on a blue pitch, surrounded by glass, racket in hand? 

From football to the net: has PSG been infected with the padel virus?

We knew the  ultra-modern training center in Poissy What is less well known is that Luis Enrique's version of PSG has adopted a new post-training routine: sessions...  of padel! 
Yes, yes, this little racket sport that drives the Spanish, the Argentinians... and now the Parisians crazy.

Marquinhos and Hakimi, kings of doubles?

It seems that Achraf Hakimi  would be one of the most addicted: smashes off the glass, worked bandeja, and above all a steely mentality... the kind of player who doesn't say a word but who puts the ball in the corner every time.  Marquinhos , he relies more on positioning. Less explosive than on a corner, but formidable in defense.

It is even whispered that  Mbappé would have tested , but hey... he thought it looked too much like a tennis practice without a baseline. We'll probably see him again later, in Miami, racket in hand and sponsored by an American padel brand.

PSG offers padel entertainment at the Parc des Princes

Luis Enrique, strategist… or padel addict?

The Spanish coach is not only a tactical genius: he is also  a real padelero In Barcelona, ​​he was already hitting the ball with Piqué. In Paris, he found a perfect way to unite his group while working on reflexes and communication:  double on carpet .

It's no wonder the team found this collective fluidity: in padel, there are no stars, just two players who must trust each other. Exactly what we saw Saturday night on the pitch in Munich.

Hakimi, Marquinhos, Luis Enrique padel psg european champion

What if we built a field in the Park?

After the Champions League, a new challenge awaits PSG:  become a champion… of corporate padel. 
We can already imagine  an internal tournament  : Donnarumma / Fabian Ruiz vs. Ramos / Vitinha in doubles, with Verratti as guest star in the bar (he's back just for that).

Jokes aside, if PSG seeks to create a European dynasty,  Padel could well remain on the roadmap After all, between a set won in a tie-break and a half-volley at the end of the race... there is a little taste of a European final.

Credits: Visuals created with the help of AI.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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